Cryosphere Data Access and Tools

NASA data range from measuring the current and historical extent of snow and ice to tracking its formation and melting. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.

Dataset	Geographic Region	Temporal Extent	Data Format	Potential Application Areas	Related Subtopics
ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 Level 1 ScanSAR Product	Global	2014-08-01 to Present		Sea ice coverage and movement tracking	sea ice
ARIA Sentinel-1 Geocoded Unwrapped Interferograms	Global	2014-06-15 to Present		Glacier flow velocity estimation	glaciers, ice sheets
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L2A Global Geolocated Photon Data V006	Global	2018-10-13 to Present	HDF5	Sea ice freeboard determination Ice sheet mass balance studies	glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land Ice Height V006	Global	2018-10-14 to Present	HDF5	Ice sheet mass balance assessment Glacier thinning rate monitoring Ice sheet contribution to sea level rise Ice flow dynamics research Ice shelf stability monitoring Climate model validation for ice processes Cryosphere change detection Water resource planning in glaciated regions	glaciers, ice sheets
ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Sea Ice Height V006	Global	2018-10-14 to Present	HDF5	Sea ice thickness estimation Ice volume calculation for mass balance Arctic shipping route safety assessment Climate model validation for sea ice Ice age and type discrimination	sea ice
GLIMS Glacier Database, Version 1	Global	1850-01-01 to Present	WMS WFS GML ASCII Shapefile KML	Global glacier inventory and monitoring Water resource planning in glaciated regions Glacier hazard identification Long-term glacier change detection	glaciers, ice sheets
MODIS/Terra Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V061	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Snow extent mapping and monitoring Climate model validation for snow cover Flood risk prediction from snowmelt Cold region transportation planning Albedo feedback studies in climate research	snow ice
MODIS/Terra Surface Reflectance Daily L2G Global 250m SIN Grid V061	Global	2000-02-24 to Present	HDF-EOS2	Snow cover mapping	snow ice
Near-Real-Time DMSP SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Sea Ice Concentrations, Version 2	Arctic, Antarctica, Polar, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere	2021-11-01 to Present	NetCDF-4 PNG	Sea ice edge position tracking Rapid response to changing ice conditions	sea ice
OPERA Surface Displacement from Sentinel-1 validated product (Version 1)	Global	2016-07-01 to Present	NetCDF-4 XML PNG Zarr	Ice sheet and glacier movement tracking	glaciers, ice sheets
RSS SSMIS OCEAN PRODUCT GRIDS 3-DAY AVERAGE FROM DMSP F17 NETCDF V7	Global	2006-12-12 to Present	NetCDF-4	Sea ice edge mapping in polar regions	sea ice
Sea Ice Concentrations from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Passive Microwave Data, Version 2	Polar	1978-10-26 to Present	NetCDF-4 PNG	Long-term sea ice trend analysis Arctic amplification studies Polar ecosystem management Polar climate feedback mechanism research Multi-decadal ice variability studies	sea ice
SENTINEL-1B_DUAL_POL_GRD_HIGH_RES	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Snow cover extent monitoring	frozen ground, glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, snow ice
SENTINEL-1B_SLC	Global	2016-04-25 to 2021-12-24		Coherence analysis for subtle change detection Polarimetric target characterization Glacier velocity measurement and ice monitoring	frozen ground, glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, snow ice
VIIRS/JPSS1 Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 375m SIN Grid, Version 2	Global	2018-01-05 to Present	HDF-EOS5	High-resolution snow extent monitoring Snowmelt timing detection	snow ice
VIIRS/NPP Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 375m SIN Grid, Version 2	Global	2012-01-19 to Present	HDF-EOS5	Daily snow cover extent mapping Snow accumulation and ablation monitoring Water supply forecasting in snowmelt-dependent regions Winter storm impact assessment	snow ice
VIIRS/NPP Imagery Resolution 6-Min L1B Swath 375 m	Global	2012-01-19 to Present	NetCDF	Ice edge and sea ice monitoring	sea ice

Cryosphere Datasets

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Filters

Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere State of Cryosphere Daily 25km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001	1	DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Terra	SSM/I, SSMIS, MODIS	1999-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180	25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers	netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere State of Cryosphere Weekly 100km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001	1	DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Nimbus-7	SSM/I, SSMIS, SMMR	1979-01-02 to 2012-12-31	N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180	100 Kilometers x 100 Kilometers	netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere Terrestrial Snow Cover Extent Daily 25km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001	1	DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Terra	SSM/I, SSMIS, MODIS	1999-01-01 to 2012-12-31	N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180	25 Kilometers x 25 Kilometers	netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Northern Hemisphere Terrestrial Snow Cover Extent Weekly 100km EASE-Grid 2.0 V001	1	DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, Nimbus-7	SSM/I, SSMIS, SMMR	1966-10-04 to 2012-12-31	N: 90 S: 0 E: 180 W: -180	100 Kilometers x 100 Kilometers	netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Phase-Based Antarctica Ice Velocity Map V001	1	ALOS, ALOS-2, ENVISAT, ERS-1, ERS-2, LANDSAT-8, RADARSAT-1, RADARSAT-2, Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B, TDX, TSX	PALSAR, PALSAR-2, ASAR, SAR, OLI, C-SAR	1996-01-01 to 2018-12-31	N: -60 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	450 Meters x 450 Meters	netCDF-4
MEaSUREs Weekly to Monthly Greenland Outlet Glacier Terminus Positions from Sentinel-1 Mosaics V001	1	Sentinel-1A, Sentinel-1B	C-SAR	2015-01-01 to 2021-12-31	N: 84 S: 59 E: -15 W: -73	15 Meters to 50 Meters x 15 Meters to 50 Meters	Shapefile
MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXFLX)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_int_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXINT)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavg1_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,1-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T1NXOCN)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavg3_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,3-Hourly,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2T3NXGLC)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXFLX)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXGLC)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_int_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXINT)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgM_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,Monthly mean,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TMNXOCN)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_flx_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Surface Flux Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXFLX)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_glc_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Land Ice Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXGLC)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_int_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Vertically Integrated Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXINT)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MERRA-2 tavgU_2d_ocn_Nx: 2d,diurnal,Time-Averaged,Single-Level,Assimilation,Ocean Surface Diagnostics 0.625 x 0.5 degree V5.12.4 (M2TUNXOCN)	5.12.4	MERRA-2	NOT APPLICABLE	1980-01-01 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	0.625 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees
MODIS/Aqua CGF Snow Cover Daily L3 Global 500m SIN Grid V061	61	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	500 Meters x 500 Meters	HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km NRT	6.1NRT	Aqua	MODIS	2021-02-07	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers	HDF-EOS
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V004	4	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to 2006-12-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers	HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V005	5	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to 2017-01-02	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers	GeoTIFF, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V006	6	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to 2023-02-26	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers	XML, JPEG, HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent 5-Min L2 Swath 1km V061	61	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to Present	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Kilometers x 1 Kilometers	HDF-EOS2
MODIS/Aqua Sea Ice Extent and IST Daily L3 Global 4km EASE-Grid Day V004	4	Aqua	MODIS	2002-07-04 to 2007-01-03	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	4 Kilometers x 4 Kilometers	HDF-EOS2

Cryosphere Data Tools

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Tool Sort descending	Description	Services
AppEEARS	The Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS) offers a simple and efficient way to perform data access and transformation processes.	Search and Discovery, Subsetting, Customization, Downloading, Visualization
Earthdata Search	Earthdata Search enables data discovery, search, comparison, visualization, and access across NASA’s Earth science data holdings.	Search and Discovery, Access, Cataloging, Cloud Computing, Downloading
GLIMS Glacier Database	Visualize and download data from the GLIMS Glacier Database using the map-based GLIMS Glacier Viewer or search and download data using custom parameters in the GLIMS Text Search Interface.	Downloading, Search and Discovery, Visualization
OpenAltimetry	OpenAltimetry is a map-based visualization tool for exploring surface elevation data across Earth over time.	Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization
RTC Stack Processor	The radiometric terrain correction (RTC) stack processor tool facilitates time-series analysis of such phenomena as flooding events, deforestation, or glacier retreat.	Analysis, Processing, Search and Discovery, Visualization
Vertex	Vertex is a graphical search interface for finding synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data.	Search and Discovery, Access, Downloading, Processing, Subsetting
Worldview	Worldview offers the capability to interactively browse over 1,200 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and download the underlying data.	Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization, Access, Comparison, Monitoring Natural Events

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Cryosphere Data Access and Tools

Commonly Used Datasets for Applications in the Cryosphere

Cryosphere Datasets

Cryosphere Data Tools

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